September 15-16, 2022
Making Space Amidst Suffering and Uncertainty: Mindful Self-Compassion and Tending Our Stories
Participation Options
- In-person at Episcopal House of Prayer, 14215 Fruit Farm Rd, Collegeville, MN 56321
- Online participation through Zoom
The presentation portions of this event will be recorded. By registering to participate in the event you are consenting to being recorded.
Summary of Sessions
Dr. Paul Wenner will introduce the practice of Mindful Self Compassion (MSC), which is noticing suffering in oneself and others, accepting suffering as part of the human experience, and learning the skills of loving kindness, all of which help alleviate the suffering. The presentations are mainly experiential. Research demonstrates that practicing MSC lowers depression and anxiety. Soldiers who fought in Afghanistan who had higher levels of self-compassion had lower levels of PTSD. Research on chaplains demonstrates the strongest predictive factor against burnout is MSC.
Dr. Diane Millis will invite us to consider how, as chaplains, we minister at the intersection of so many stories, including our own. We meet our clients in some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives, and we invite them to tell us the story of their experience. Amid so many demands on our time and attention, how might we enlarge the space within us to receive the particularities of both our own and others’ stories? How might we listen in such a way that we can hear into speech our own and others’ unfolding and unfinished stories?
Speaker Information
Dr. Paul Wenner is currently a faculty member at the University of Minnesota St Cloud Hospital Family Practice Residency and practices as an integrated behavioral psychologist at the Family Health Center in St Cloud, Minnesota. He has practiced as a therapist for forty years in a variety of ways: child/adolescent, family, and adult therapy. The basis of his practice has always been relationship. He was introduced to Mindful Self Compassion five years ago and has been learning to have a loving, kind relationship with himself.
Dr. Diane M. Millis is an educator, spiritual director, and the author of several books, including Re-Creating a Life: Learning How to Tell our Most Life-Giving Story, which was named one of the best spiritual books of 2019. Diane has taught at the University of Minnesota, the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University, Saint Catherine University, and United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. In addition to teaching, program development, and writing, she is a popular conference presenter and retreat facilitator for participants in a wide array of sectors, including education, non-profit, and health care.
Objectives of Sessions
Session One: Describe the three components of Mindful Self Compassion and how you can use them when you are struggling.
Session Two: Describe the concept of backdraft and how it might affect an interaction with a client
Session Three: Describe equanimity and how practicing it can decrease burnout.
Session Four: Expand our understanding of the characteristics of life-giving versus life-limiting stories and explore best practices for “hearing into speech” our own and others’ stories.
Session Five: Experiment in small groups with making more space for the unexpected, uncertain, and unfinished aspects of one another’s stories and examine what helps and hinders us from receiving others’ stories.
Conference Schedule
Note that all times listed below are in Central Time. View the detailed schedule for times listed in other time zones.
Thursday, September 15
1:00-1:45 pm Registration
2:00 pm Welcome and Prayer (the start for online participants)
2:30 pm Session One
4:00 pm Break
4:15 pm Session Two
5:45 pm Break
6:00 pm Dinner (included in conference registration )
7:00 pm Session Three (ending at 8:30 pm)
Friday, September 16
8:00 am Breakfast (included for overnight guests only)
9:15 am Morning Prayer (optional, the start for online participants)
9:30 am Session Four
11:00 am Break
11:15 am Education Committee Discussion
11:45 am Break
12:00 pm Lunch (included in conference registration)
1:00 pm Session Five
2:30 pm Closing Prayer/Evaluations
8.00 Continuing Education Hours have been granted by the National Association of Catholic Chaplains
NACC Certification Competencies Covered by the Conference: ITP2, PIC1, PIC2, PIC3
Registration Deadlines
In-person Registration: August 29, 2022
Online Participation: September 9, 2022
~ Registration is not considered complete until payment is received. ~
Registration Rates
*Shared room is available ONLY to those living within the same household.
**Student rate is available to CPE Students, Graduate Students, and NACC Student members.
All in-person and online attendees will have access to the recordings of the event.
In-person Overnight Registration Rates
Overnight accommodation is limited and will be assigned based on when registration is received. The primary accommodation location will be the Episcopal House of Prayer (14215 Fruit Farm Rd, Collegeville, MN 56321). If needed additional accommodations will be available at St. John’s Abbey (2900 Abbey Plaza, Collegeville, MN 56321).
Please note: Episcopal House of Prayer single/double bedrooms include bed, sink, desk, chair, and reading lamp. There are separate toilet and shower facilities for women and men. Towels and sheets are provided. Please plan to bring items for your personal needs.
- Full registration with private room ($175) ~ includes conference fee, private room accommodation (Thursday), and three conference meals (Thursday dinner, Friday breakfast, Friday lunch)
- Full registration with shared room* ($155) ~ available ONLY to those living within the same household; includes conference fee, shared room accommodation (Thursday), and three conference meals (Thursday dinner, Friday breakfast, Friday lunch)
- Student** registration with private room ($140) ~ includes conference fee, private room accommodation (Thursday), and three conference meals (Thursday dinner, Friday breakfast, Friday lunch)
In-person Commuter Registration Rates
- Full registration for commuters ($125) ~ includes conference fee and two conference meals (Thursday dinner and Friday lunch)
- Full registration for student commuters ($80) ~ includes conference fee and two conference meals (Thursday dinner and Friday lunch)
Online Registration Rates
- Full registration for online participation ($120) ~ includes conference fee for online participation
- Full registration for online student* participation ($60) ~ includes conference fee for online participation
How to Register
Register online and pay using your Visa, MasterCard, or Discover Card OR if you prefer to send a check, register online and select “bill me later” and then send a check payable to the NACC to the NACC National Office, 4915 S Howell Avenue, Suite 501, Milwaukee WI 53207.
Navigate to the online registration system.
For more program information, please contact:
Brent Derowitsch 952-892-2725 (work) or bderowi1@fairview.org
